


Kiss Reaction (The Kiss The Stress Away Remix)

by navaan



Category: DCU (Comics), JLA (Comics)
Genre: Attraction, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, JLA: The Obsidian Age, Kissing, M/M, Pre-Reboot, Pre-Slash, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:59:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4222599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This happens to him altogether too often. Surely this time, with everything that has been going on, nobody can blame him for being surprised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss Reaction (The Kiss The Stress Away Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kerithwyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kerithwyn/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Stress Reaction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/178325) by [kerithwyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kerithwyn/pseuds/kerithwyn). 
  * In response to a prompt by [kerithwyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kerithwyn/pseuds/kerithwyn) in the [remixmadness2015](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/remixmadness2015) collection. 



> Set during the aftermath of the JLA: The Obsidian Age arc.

Be prepared.

It was one of the first rules Bruce had ever drilled into him. 

Don't let yourself be taken off guard. 

Watch your back.

And he knew he had embraced it. He knew he couldn't be easily sneaked upon or attacked from the shadows, because he _knew_ his surroundings wherever he was and watched for those shadows. Just minutes before he'd even caught fucking Batman sneaking up on him and Bruce had seemed at least a little impressed with his skill. He made his living in _Bludhaven_ these days! You didn't survive in Bludhaven if you weren't prepared for whatever the city would throw at you.

But maybe that was entirely the problem. He was always prepared for _danger_.

He was always watching his back, aware of the best ways to get away if trouble arose, of the things that could be used as cover or turned into a weapon. Bruce had taught him well.

Nobody had taught him to not be surprised at suddenly being _kissed_ though.

And at this point in his life he was thinking that maybe someone should have, as firm lips were pressing to his in a soft kiss. In the first moment of surprise his eyes must have gone wide. He'd frozen up, but as the kiss went on, Kyle's warm body pressed to him in uncanny familiarity, his eyes closed.

He didn't pull away, his mind sort of going blank, losing himself in the feel of it, his hands going up to Kyle's shoulders, not pushing him away, not holding on to him, just _touching_.

It was good to feel that warmth after the stress and horror of the last few days. It was good to _feel_.

And to be honest this kiss wasn't half bad; good, enough to make butterflies rise up his insides. Dick wasn't exactly new to kissing, but he couldn't remember the last time that someone had kissed him like this: sweet, undemanding, reverently. Just for this moment he felt loved, wanted, safe.

Still, he had no idea why Kyle Rayner would be kissing _him_. It wasn't like they were even friends or anything.

As if in answer to his thoughts Kyle pulled away, looking at him as if he was gauging his reaction, but unapologetic, obviously not regretting what had just transpired.

Dick – not sure what he was supposed to think or feel about the whole thing – returned his gaze with his best Bruce-tested unreadable expression, the one that had been enough to drive Kory up the wall sometimes when they were arguing.

“Can we call that a stress reaction too?“ Kyle asked, sounding flustered. Like he hadn't planned on kissing someone he barely knew in the hallway.

And this was how they had ended up here, right? Stress reaction.

Kyle hadn't just walked up to him and pressed a achingly sweet kiss to his lips. This had started with the current Green Lantern coming across him in the hallway and striking up a conversation that had ended up in a hug - a hug the other man had obviously needed badly and that Dick himself had called an understandable stress reaction.

The Lantern had been stuck in the past, had died, sacrificed himself and been brought back to life. A man could be given some leeway when he'd been through all that.

Dick – who himself had thought the closest thing he had to a father had died along with the rest of the JLA, had been appointed leader if the new JLA team by his dead mentor and had fought both public opinion and villains for the duration of this whole mess – could emphasize. The first thing he'd done when Bruce had let his guard down for less than a second was hug him, glad for him to be alive.

But still it hadn't stayed at just a hug. Huh.

Slowly, very slowly he nodded.

He understood the need for closeness, especially when you'd just had an all to close brush with death.

It happened to all of them.

It was perfectly understandable.

This wasn't even the first time that something like this had happened to him. People had unexpectedly kissed him before.

Still there had been something different about this kiss.

Kyle smiled at him, somewhat awkwardly. He was probably trying to piece together a way to make Dick not think too much of this. He'd died, he'd been in need of comfort, Dick had been right there – that was all. Finally he cleared his throat and said: “You'd better go. Your team is waiting for you.” Sending Dick on his way with deceptively light tone and a wave of the hand, as if this whole episode has been nothing but a slight inconvenience keeping Dick from getting to where he was headed.

Dick's eyes narrowed, not sure what to think of Rayner's easy deflection. He was talking about the Titans, obviously, playing on Dick's sense of duty to get him back into gear, to get rid of him now that the short connection they had shared was broken.

In truth Dick hadn't even been thinking of meeting his team today, had actually planned on going home to his empty Bludhaven apartment, making sure it was even still there.

He'd still been pondering the kiss, the warmth, the connection.

Making up his mind he spun around and walked away. Better to just forget about this, before this could get anymore awkward, before he said anything that would embarrass them both. With long strides he made his way down the corridor towards the transporters. 

Time to go home.

But there on his lips lingered the feeling of the soft touch.

He couldn't just forget it.

Wonderingly he touched his lips, marveling at the impression the short touch of lips had left.

He was still feeling the shock and excitement, blood pumping through his veins a little faster than normal.

Something had happened there.

Something more than a stress reaction.

The Batman hadn't just taught him to look pretty in a costume. He was a detective like the rest of the bats.

And he could feel Rayner follow his progress down the corridor with his eyes.

Suddenly he smiled.

Attraction was something he understood.

Perhaps he'd give Wally a call tonight. He'd been working with the man for some time now. He'd be able to give him a better estimation of what was normal for the this Green Lantern. And Wally was his best friend – he'd tell him if he was getting into something he'd better stay out of.

But if his intuition served him right, then maybe he'd see much more of Rayner in the future.

After all they were both in a stressful line of work.

Who knew how long it was before either of them could use a strong shoulder to lean on again.

Probably not long at all.


End file.
